Chevrolet Impala

Despite rumors of its death, the 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic and similar Impala were the best-selling Chevys.

The 1983 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice Classic was rumored to be facing extinction, but the model persisted, albeit with a trimmed model lineup. Gone was the Caprice coupe, the last two-door version, and the Impala wagon.

Gone, too, was the smaller 4.4-liter V-8, which was never very popular, even during the gas-crisis days. That left the 3.8-liter 110-horsepower Chevy V-6 as the base powerplant (though Californians once again got a similar Buick-built engine), with options being the 150-horsepower 5.0-liter gas V-8 (standard on wagons) and 105-horsepower 5.7-liter diesel V-8. With all engines, a three-speed automatic transmission was standard, a four-speed automatic optional.

The sedan-only offering of the 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic and Impala suggested that Chevy was targeting an older audience.

Since these were lean years for Chevrolet, and GM in general, it was probably difficult to justify a replacement for the aging full-size cars. But with gas prices stabilizing and buyers once again leaning toward larger vehicles and V-8 engines, it was hard for Chevy to dismiss sales that continued to hover near 200,000 units annually.

And the Impala and Caprice -- despite the loss of their coupes -- were not only selling better than the year before, they were selling better than any other Chevrolet.